![]() |
A storm unleashes it energy. Mother Nature at her nastiest! |
The Strike Kathleen McNamara A storm in the offing So many signs Tree leaves Silvery in the rising winds Whipped cream clouds Mounding ever higher on the horizon Sipping my sweet-tart lemonade From my corner of the porch I am witness To the birth of a monster Cream gives way to lead To an angry, growling black Stalking our town Like a panther on the hunt Rabbits in the yard pause Their mealtimes forgotten Noses twitch and they scatter The smell of rain heavy on the winds The deep growls of the storm beast Their warning The onslaught is swift Talons of lightning rake the sky Thunder crashes overhead I, too, run For the shelter of my home From my spot by the door I felt it pass… Ferocious energy! Tingling on my arms I heard it pass… The air sizzling in its wake The deathblow struck Both brilliant and deafening An ancient pine succumbs The wound, fatal A charred black stump Steams in the rain The raging ebony behemoth Continues its relentless march east Thunder echoing in the wake Songbirds resume their chirps The rabbits cautiously creep out And the sun returns The smell of damp earth mingles With the scent of burning pine I mourn the passing of the tree |